Honey

Quick, fun quiz:  Name the first 8 phrases or things with the word “honey” in it that come to mind.

These are mine:

• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Honey I shrunk the kids
• Honey, I’m home
• I love you honey
• Honey Boo Boo
• Honey bee
• Honey… the movie
• Honey roasted almonds

Did any of yours match mine?  If so, I grant you an air hug.

So… why the quiz about honey?  Well, honey is mentioned ALL the time!  It is everywhere!  And one place it should DEFINITELY be is in your kitchen.

This time of year can bring coughing, tiredness, scratchy throats, etc.  I have already had a little dose of that and I am sure most of you have too.  Honey can be used as a natural cough suppressant.  In fact, Penn State college of Medicine did a research study and found that honey is as effective as over-the- counter cough medicine.  Guess Mary Poppins needs to redo her song… “A spoonful of honey helps the medicine go down.”

I found a great recipe that I know I will try the next time I have a rough coughing spell.

Nurse Barb’s Honey Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

• Zest of 2 lemons= 1 ½ tablespoons
• ¼ cup peeled, sliced ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup lemon juice

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add lemon zest, sliced ginger, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, and then strain into a heat-proof measuring cup.  Rinse the saucepan out and pour in 1 cup honey. On low heat, warm the honey, but do not allow it to boil. Add the strained lemon/ ginger water and the lemon juice. Stir the mixture until it forms a thick syrup.  Pour into a clean jar and seal with a lid.  This can be refrigerated up to 2 months.  For ages 12 and up, take 1 to 2 tablespoons every 4 hours.

The recipe was provided by the National Honey Board.

Honey can also increase energy.  It is a high carbohydrate food (17 grams of carbohydrates and 64 calories per tablespoon) and can add flavor to just about anything.  It’s a one-ingredient food too… you know how much I love that!

I also enjoy the story behind honey.  I appreciate the hard work that went into making honey by bees and the beekeepers.  And did you know that there are more than 300 varieties of honey found in the United States?  Pretty AWESOME if you ask me.

So, now I have to ask… what is your favorite thing to put honey on?  I like to sprinkle honey on my peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  Yum!

Eat well,

Bri